Ramen Stall Romance
by Yangster
Summary: He absolutely loved ramen; with its pure deliciousness, along with the two people who made it. The warmth that those two components brought to his life was what kept him going through the harshest moments of his life. When tragedy takes away the one person holding his favourite ramen stall together, he must go out of his way to save it.. By volunteering to help Ayame run the stall.
1. How I Ended Up Making Ramen

**A/N: I like writing, but there some things that I like more like World of Warcraft. Oh well. Here I am, back with hopefully a nice, fluffy, sweet and short story. Glad to be back, I suppose? Meh.**

 **So here is what I hope to be a nice, slow, casual romance between Ayame and Naruto. I like Ayame. She is a side character that I wished was more prevalent in the manga and the anime.**

 **I hope I do not disappoint.**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters.**

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 **Ramen Stall Romance**

 **By Yangster**

 **Chapter #1: How I Ended Up Making Ramen**

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He was in a bad mood.

Walking through the packed, commercial district of Konoha with a frown on his face and a slight furrow in his brow, Naruto slowly began drowning out the chitter-chatter and the bustle of the world around him as he reflected quietly on why he was in a bad mood. He was annoyed, pissed off even, but mostly just frustrated.

Frustrated at himself.

Tilting his head up to look at the blue sky, Naruto instinctively squinted as the afternoon sun bore down on his eyes. Despite the irritation, he continued to look up as he ran through what had just happened earlier in his head. It had started off as just a simple training day with his team meeting on the bridge and Kakashi being an hour late. It was right after that, that Kakashi announced that he was going to run them through a refresher on all the survival training that they had done back at the academy.

Kakashi had even brought a little book, with a bunch of cute doodles in it.

Naruto had complained a bit and had even put on a little show on why he did not have to be refreshed on all that old information, but to be honest, he had actually forgotten a big deal of all of that stuff.

He was never going to admit that out loud to his team though. He would have died of shame or embarrassment or both.

He was able to get through most of the review in the beginning, with the list of edible and poisonous plants, along with how to hide ones tracks when in enemy territory, but his little facade was quickly broken when Kakashi had instructed them to make a basic campfire.

Holding back a groan, Naruto looked back down at the street in front of him. Even now, he could feel the slight heat of embarrassment in his cheeks and the annoying, burn of frustration in his chest. To think that a simple campfire was his downfall. He just wanted to slap himself.

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, Naruto took a deep breath as he remembered how awkward it was for all of his teammates to stare at him with their finished fires whilst he was still trying to start his own. It had gotten even more awkward when Kakashi had stepped in and guided him through the entire process.

Even if Kakashi's voice was calm and his expression was indifferent, Naruto swore he saw just the slightest disappointed glint in his eye during the ordeal. That was what had sucked the most. While he was alright with Sasuke's disapproving roll of the eyes and Sakura's genuinely surprised snort, it was the lack of a reaction from Kakashi that had made him as frustrated as he was now.

Sighing quietly, Naruto looked back down the street he was walking on. He knew exactly what he needed: a delicious bowl, or bowls, of ramen.

Feeling just a little bit better after having run through all that mess, Naruto hastened his pace and began walking in the direction of his favourite ramen stall. He had not been there in a week and a half and he could just not wait to rant out all the bad things that had happened to him during that time to Teuchi and Ayame.

Already now, as he neared Ichiraku, he could smell the phantom aromas of delicious miso broth and tender stewed pork. His mouth was watering just thinking of all the ramen that he would eat.

As he was just about to round the corner to the stall, he paused briefly to pull out his wallet to check how much money he had. Eyeballing the amount, he smiled a bit at the decent amount of money in his hand before continuing onward.

The smell of ramen was real now as the stand came into view. Bellying up to the counter, Naruto flashed a toothsome smile before waving with his hand.

"Hey Ayame! Hey Teu-"

He paused, one of his brows quirking up as he saw only Ayame, who was busy cutting onions. Her eyes were a bit puffy, and there was tell-tale glint of tears welling in her eyelids as she focused on slicing the onions as thin as possible.

Looking at the other stools, Naruto took note that he was the only one at the stand besides Ayame. Looking back at Ayame, he found himself tilting his head in confusion as she had not turned to greet him back.

"Umm. Ayame?" asked Naruto, his voice a bit awkward and unsteady.

She paused, a quiet gasp escaping through her lips as she turned her head to look at Naruto. For a few seconds, she stared at him blankly, her eyes hazy before she suddenly snapped out of it.

"O-Oh. Hi, Naruto," she responded with a slight stammer as she patted down the wrinkles of her apron and turned to face him.

Naruto opened his mouth to order, his need for comfort food overwhelming him for a split-second before he closed it. Instead of ordering, he asked her a question.

"Where's Teuchi, Ayame?"

Her bottom lip began quivering as she looked down at the floor, her shoulders sagging a bit before she let out a long, heavy, sigh.

"Naruto.." began Ayame, pausing briefly as she swallowed quietly, "Teuchi.."

She cleared her throat.

"Father passed away a few days ago," she answered, as she raised a hand in preparation to wipe away the tears that would soon fall.

Naruto's eyes widened, his lips parting as his jaw went slack.

"He died of a heart attack due to stress," explained Ayame, her words prompting Naruto to cover his mouth solemnly with his hand.

There was a moment of silence before Naruto spoke up.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ayame..."

She shook her head, her lips curving upward into a sad smile as she walked towards the counter, "There is no need for any of that." She then paused for a second as she briefly put herself back together, "What can I get for you, Naruto?

"Before I answer that, can I ask you a question?"

"Didn't you already just ask one?" retorted Ayame, chuckling awkwardly as she finished saying that.

Naruto mustered up a smile, "Yeah."

"Alright then. What's your question?" asked Ayame as she dragged a stool from inside to stall to the inner side of the counter so that she could sit down in front of Naruto.

"Why am I the only one eating here today?" replied Naruto as he glanced around at the empty stools beside him, "Isn't this usually the time most people leave work?"

Ayame shrugged her shoulders and sighed warily, "They're use to seeing Father here. He was the face of our business. I guess they just don't trust his daughter to be able to make as good a bowl of ramen."

"Why would they think that!?" asked Naruto, throwing his arms up in an exasperated manner before letting them drop back on to the wooden counter with a thud.

"Because it's true," answered Ayame bluntly, her words prompting Naruto's eyes to widen, "Sure, I can follow the family recipe but at this point, Father has made so many mental tweaks to it that it's not even the same recipe anymore."

Naruto exhaled quietly, "Well, why don't I see if that's true or not myself then?"

"Miso ramen as per usual?"

He nodded, "Yes please."

Bowing her head a bit, Ayame got off the stool she was sitting on and got to work. Finishing up the onion that she was dicing, she placed it to the side before she grabbed a serving of noodles and placed them into a pot of boiling water. Waiting a few minutes, Ayame strained the noodles before placing them into a bowl, followed up by miso broth, and the usual toppings.

She then placed the bowl in front of Naruto, "Here."

"Thank you," replied Naruto as he reached for a pair of chopsticks before bowing his head before the bowl respectfully and whispering quietly, "Thanks for the food."

It smelled the same. It even looked the same. Surely there was nothing wrong with the bowl of ramen underneath his nose right? Picking up a few noodles, he began blowing gently on them. It was weird for him not to immediately devour a bowl of ramen instantly but he wanted to take a moment to see if he could actually detect any difference between Ayame's bowl of ramen and Teuchi's bowl of ramen.

Once sufficently cooled, at least to Naruto's standard, he took a bite. More of a slurp, really. The noodles slid into his mouth with ease.

"Hmm.." hummed Naruto, his cheeks tensing up a bit as he looked down at his bowl thoughtfully.

"How is it?" asked Ayame as she wiped her hands with a towel.

"There is a little bit of bitterness there that wasn't there before," answered Naruto as he looked up at Ayame, "The miso flavour has also gotten a little too strong for my tastes and there is also not enough of that onion and ginger taste to it."

Ayame blinked at him, "Well then.. That was actually a lot more than I thought you would say."

"What did you think I would say?" asked Naruto, quirking a brow as he tilted his head a bit to the side.

"I don't know," replied Ayame with a shrug as she smiled coyly at him, "Something less than whatever you just said?"

Naruto snorted softly before returning Ayame's smile with his own, "Ramen's serious stuff, Ayame. It's my favourite food after-all. There's no way that I would just use a few words if I were asked to describe my favourite food."

Ayame chuckled in response, her features brightening up for a second due to Naruto's response, "Of course. I should not have doubted you."

"So what are you gonna do now, now that I've sort of listed out some of the differences?" asked Naruto as picked up a piece of sliced fishcake with his chopsticks.

"I don't know," answered Ayame with a sigh, "Maybe I'll just have to close the stall and get a job as a waitress or a prep cook.

Naruto gasped, "No way! You can't do that, Ayame!"

"Why?" asked Ayame, quirking a brow.

"Because then where else would I get my favourite bowl of ramen from?!"

Ayame shrugged as she sat back down in the stool she had set up earlier and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the counter, "I can't even make your favourite bowl of ramen, Naruto. At least not with the recipe that Father left behind."

"Not with that attitude!" retorted Naruto as he reached forward and grabbed both of Ayame's hands, prompting Ayame to gasp and widen her eyes.

"N-Naruto?"

"Look," began Naruto, pausing awkwardly as he slowly came up with the words to make what he just did less awkward, "Ayame. You can't just close Ichiraku. Not only is it the home to my favourite bowl of ramen, but it is also the only place where I get to see you."

He tried to ignore the fact Ayame had blushed at the last part of his sentence.

"You're one of my only friends and it would suck if I couldn't see you as often anymore," continued and finished Naruto as he nodded assuredly at his own words.

"B-But I can't just run this stall by myself," replied Ayame with a stutter, "It's a two person job and I can't afford to hire someone!"

His mouth moved on its own.

"Well then I'll just have to help you then!"

Ayame gasped, "What?!"

"I said I'll just have to help you then!" replied Naruto, much louder this time, the volume of his voice causing Ayame to flinch.

"Will you really..?" asked Ayame tentatively, her voice drifting off a bit at the end of her question.

Naruto nodded his head, "Yes, I will. I love this place more than my apartment, Ayame. I'd hate to see it go."

He watched as Ayame's bewildered expression gave way to a small, hopeful smile.

"Alright then, Naruto. I'll keep the stall open for as long as I can as long as you come here everyday to help me out."

"You got it," said Naruto in response as he returned the smile, his much more confident than hers.

Letting go of her hands, Naruto stood up from his stool, "I'll make sure to come here after every single day after training!"

"Sounds good, Naruto."

Flashing her another smile, he turned to leave when suddenly..

"Wait!"

He blinked a few times in confusion before turning his head to look at Ayame, "Huh? What?"

"You still got to pay for your bowl!"

"Eh.."

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 **A/N: There it is! Chapter one of what I hope to be a good story! Expect an update every two weeks since my schedule is so much busier now! Please favourite, follow and review! Take care everyone!**


	2. A Ninja Cutting Onions

**A/N: Welcome back folks to Ramen Stall Romance! Onward to chapter two! I hope you all enjoy! On a side note, I need to get better with chapter titles.**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters**

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 **Ramen Stall Romance**

 **By Yangster**

 **Chapter #2: A Ninja Cutting Onions**

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This was it.

Feeling the smoothness and surety of the ergonomic grip in his hand, his eyes tensed in concentration as he looked at his reflection within the blade in his hand. He had trained his entire life for this. Every year spent in the academy was all for this one moment. He felt his breath hitch as he slowly raised the knife, the action prompting him to swallow quietly as he prepared for what he had to do next.

"Prepare to the wrath of Naruto Uzumaki!" exclaimed Naruto loudly, unleashing his battle cry as he sliced downward with the knife he was holding.

The onion he was gripping against the cutting board submitted to his heavy knife strikes. With each slice, more and more pieces of chopped onion were created. Before long, what was once a whole, innocent, little, onion, was now a pile of chopped onion.

"Hah! Take that, you cruel vegetable of teary injustice!"

He heard Ayame giggle behind him as soon as he said that. Let her giggle, he thought. He had just cut a whole onion without crying. That had to be some kind of great achievement only attainable by the best chefs out there, right?

Turning his head to look over at Ayame, he immediately felt his ego deflate as he watched her chop onion after onion as if it were nothing. Her hand moved so fast that it was a blur and it looked as if she did not even have to look down at what she was doing to achieve the same level of precision with each knife cut.

Naruto looked back down at his cutting board and at the sad, singular pile of what he had thought was a grand, culinary achievement.

Sighing quietly to himself, Naruto picked up another peeled onion and began cutting.

He really hated cutting onions. It was the worst part of all the prep. He was alright with peeling ginger and making the miso paste but it was the onions that always got to him. Not only was he incredibly slow with cutting them, but he would end up crying most of the time due to the fumes that they gave off.

Feeling the slight sting in his eyelids, Naruto raised an arm to wipe away any would-be tears that would have dared show themselves.

"Ugh, I hate cutting onions," stated Naruto with a groan, "Who's bright idea was it to make onions make you cry?"

He heard Ayame chuckle behind him.

"Well, maybe it's because God made it so that you couldn't get to enjoy the deliciousness that came with onions without sacrificing something," replied Ayame, the sound of her chopping going quieter for a brief moment as she said her response.

Naruto shrugged, "I guess.."

"So how many onions have you cut so far?" asked Ayame as she continued to cut onions.

"I.. Well.." began Naruto awkwardly as he looked down at his pile, "One."

"That's actually pretty decent for a beginner," replied Ayame, prompting Naruto to turn his head and quirk an eyebrow in her direction, "Usually it takes a person new to cutting vegetables at least a minute to cut an onion."

"Really?" asked Naruto, a hopeful smile appearing on his face.

"Really," answered Ayame as she turned her head to look at him, returning the smile in the process, "Now get back to cutting those onions."

"Alright then," replied Naruto, nodding to himself as he Ayame's kind words filled him with motivation.

Quickly finishing up the onion that he had began on earlier, Naruto soon got into a steady rhythm. Perhaps he was lucky that day, but he managed to finish up his share of the onions before long without cutting himself. Pouring his chopped onions into the broth in the stock pot on the stove that he was helping Ayame make, he then awaited further instruction.

"So, what next?" asked Naruto as he watched Ayame place the cutting boards into the sink.

"Now we just wait for the broth to simmer," answered Ayame as she handed Naruto a cloth towel to wipe his hands.

Naruot nodded his head, "So what will we do while we wait?"

"I don't know," replied Ayame with a shrug as she leaned back against one of the counters, "Usually this is the time that Father and I would just wait patiently and talk about things..."

Her voice trailed off slowly as she finished that last sentence.

"Oh.." began Naruto as he wiped off his hands and walked over to her.

He then offered her a smile, "Well. I may not be as interesting as Teuchi but I can always try."

"Your company is more than enough," said Ayame in response as she returned the smile, hers being just a bit smaller than his.

"Aww, shucks," replied Naruto as he pulled up a stool and sat down, "So what did you and your father usually talk about?"

Ayame shrugged as she looked upward at the ceiling, "Just the normal stuff to be honest."

She then looked back at Naruto, "Tell me about some of the stuff you ninjas do. I'm sure that'd be more interesting."

"Are you sure, Ayame? Ninja stuff is actually kinda boring," replied Naruto, gesturing boredly with his hands.

"Really?" asked Ayame, quirking a brow as she pulled out a stool for herself, "Boring for you maybe, but I bet it'd be fun for a civilian like me."

"Well, alright then," replied Naruto as he leaned in a bit, "It's actually more boring right now being a ninja than it is working with you. All we're doing right now is just team-building exercises."

"Team-building exercises? Give me an example."

"Eh.." let out Naruto awkwardly, pausing for a few seconds as he tried to remember what he had did with his team, "Well, we had these little exercises where one of us would wear a blindfold and have the others instruct us on what to do. Then we had another one where we had to list out a bunch of stupid truths about ourselves. That was embarrassing."

"That actually sounds kind of fun," remarked Ayame as rested her chin in her hand.

Naruto quirked a brow, "Huh, really?"

She nodded her head.

"Well then. I guess I find it boring because I've been doing stuff like that everyday," replied Naruto with a shrug.

"I'm actually more interested in that whole game about truths," stated Ayame as she unwrapped the white bandana she had tied around her hair.

"Oh, why is that?"

"Well, despite having served you ramen all these years, I barely know anything about you," answered Ayame, her lips curving upward into a small smile as she spoke.

Naruto blinked, "Wait. Really?"

She nodded once more, "Other than the basic things. All I know about you is that you're Naruto, that blonde-haired, blue-eyed, class clown who loves doing pranks."

"Heh," snorted Naruto as she smiled, "I don't know, Ayame. Maybe I should just keep it at that. If I tell you more, I might ruin the fun image you have of me."

"I doubt you have any super awful thing that you don't want people to know about," replied Ayame with a shrug.

For just a split second, Naruto's smile faltered. Luckily for him, Ayame did not notice.

"Alright, sure. If you want to do the whole truths team-building exercise, I'm up for it."

Ayame nodded, "So how does this go?"

"It's basically like truth or dare without the dare part."

"Oh. I see," replied Ayame as she scooted her stool a bit closer, "So who starts?"

Naruto gestured to her with his hand, "You first, Ayame."

"Alright!" began Ayame enthusiastically as she clapped her hands together a few times, "Okay. Let's see... I'm gonna start off with something embarrassing. Naruto, do you have a crush on anyone right now?"

He shrugged, "Not really. I use to like a girl on my team named Sakura, but I sort of just stopped caring much."

"Ah, I see."

"Alright then. My turn!" exclaimed Naruto before he quickly pointed at Ayame, garnering a slight look of confusion from the girl, "What do you do besides working at this ramen stand?"

"Well, it's usually pretty late when I close up shop for the day so I don't really got much time to keep a social life," began Ayame, her cheeks flushing a bit in embarrassment as she confessed her lack of social interaction, "I usually just go home and read or watch television."

"What's your favourite book genre?"

"Oh, just some cheesy romance," answered Ayame before blinking, "Wait. You asked two questions!"

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah, but you answered them."

"So does this mean I get to ask you two questions in a row then?" asked Ayame, smiling softly upon hearing Naruto's mirth.

"Sure," answered Naruto with a nod, "Go ahead."

"Okay, let's see.. So since you're a ninja, have you had to kill anyone yet?" asked Ayame, unconsciously leaning towards Naruto, her curiosity overtaking her for a moment.

Naruto shook his head, "Not yet, Ayame and I hope not soon."

"Understandable," replied Ayame, her smile softening a bit into a more reassuring one, "Can you give me your opinion of everyone on your team?"

"Ohoho! I have so many things to say about them!" exclaimed Naruto as he raised a hand enthusiastically, "Let's start off with Kakashi, the big boss of the team. He's this complete weirdo who always wears a mask and always shows up late to training even though he's the one telling us what time to show up!"

He paused to take a breath.

"Then we got Sakura. She's cheery and happy, but she is also really bossy. She acts more like a boss than Kakashi does!" continued Naruto, his description of Sakura eliciting a short chortle from Ayame, "And finally, we have Sasuke. He's kind of a big deal, being the last Uchiha and all. He's alright, I guess. I just wish that he would lighten up a bit."

"Well. Your teammate, Sasuke seems to have a lot of pressure on him," replied Ayame with a shrug, "I'd be moody too if my entire clan was wiped out."

Naruto hummed softly, "Hmm, I guess."

"Your turn," stated Ayame as she gestured for him to speak.

"Alright then," acknowledged Naruto with a nod, "Say, Ayame, how come I never see your mother around here?"

He watched Ayame bite her bottom lip hesitantly in response to his question. Feeling a wave of concern wash over him, Naruto felt a metaphorical lump in his throat as he realized how he might have screwed up with that big mouth of his again.

"I'm sorry," apologized Naruto before Ayame could speak, prompting her to shake her head.

"No, no. It's okay," replied Ayame as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "You didn't know. There's no need to apologize."

"Sorry.." said Naruto timidly as he looked down, to which Ayame quirked a brow.

"What for?"

"Because you're the one comforting me when I'm supposed to be comforting you," answered Naruto with a quiet sigh as he looked back up at Ayame.

Ayame chuckled, "Don't worry about it, Naruto. Just you being here is comforting enough."

"Yeah, but I want to do my best for you, Ayame," replied Naruto before nodding at his own words, the brief bobbing of his head allowing for Ayame's blush to go unnoticed.

"Don't worry, Naruto. You're doing fantastic," said Ayame reassuringly as she took her hand off his shoulder, "Thanks to you, I might just be able to recreate Father's recipe."

He flashed her a bright and warm smile, to which she reciprocated with one of her own. Standing up, he pulled his stool to the side before enthusiastically clapping his hands together a few times.

"Alright then! Let's do it!"

He then walked over to the counter.

"Naruto."

He turned his head to look at Ayame.

"Hm?"

"The broth still needs a few hours to finish."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh."

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 **A/N: This is as fluffy as I can hope to make it without hugs and kisses. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please favourite, follow and review! Have a good day folks!**


	3. The Calm Afternoons After a Lunch Rush

**A/N: Welcome back once again to Romance Stall Romance. I hope you all had a good day. Onward to chapter three! Let's go!**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters. I wrote this fanfic for fun.**

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 **Ramen Stall Romance**

 **By Yangster**

 **Chaper #3: The Calm Afternoons After a Lunch Rush**

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He felt like he was starting to get the hang of it.

Surely he had to be, especially after a whole two weeks of dealing with lunch rushes and rowdy customers. Not only had he cut down his onion cutting times to twenty seconds but he had also familiarized himself with all of the tasks that Ayame gave him whenever he came over to help her out at her ramen stall. He had been taught pretty much all the basics, like how to cut vegetables, carve meats and also how to make the noodles.

The hardest thing to learn was how to make the noodles. Luckily for him, Ayame was a patient teacher.

He would never admit it, but he was blushing like crazy when Ayame had stepped behind him and placed her hands on his as she guided him whilst he was learning to make noodles. It was almost too much for him, having to feel Ayame's chest press up against his back as her delicate hands gently held his wrists in place.

Hopefully Ayame had not noticed.

Unbeknownst to him, she did, but because she valued his dignity, she chose not to say anything.

Pausing for a moment, Naruto took a deep breath as he calmed the slight jitter in his nerves. He had never been that close to a girl before and it was honestly the most exciting experience he had had so far, barring all the ninja stuff. Even now, he could feel the phantom warmth of Ayame's breath from when she had talked him through on the whole noodle-making process.

Just the thought of it was making his heart beat faster and for his stomach to tickle with what he assumed was butterflies. Was he feeling this way because he liked Ayame or was it just because she had been so close to him and his hormones were just reacting accordingly?

Deciding to take a break from his current task, which was grating ginger, he turned his head to look at what Ayame was doing. She was busy with carving up some of the pork meat that was to be used to top the ramen. Whilst she was doing that, she was also humming softly.

He noticed that he was looking back at her a lot more often now. There was just something to her.

Was it her long, wonderful, brown hair, her supple, heart-shaped face, or her beautiful smile?

He paused as his cheeks flushed with warmth.

Had she always been this pretty?

Naruto shook his head a few times to clear that thought before looking back down at his side of the counter and resuming his work of grating ginger. He would confront those thoughts later when he was not surrounded by possibly dangerous cooking equipment.

Quickly finishing up, he placed the grated ginger aside before washing all the equipment that he had used. Glancing over at Ayame once more, he saw that she had also finished up.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Alright, Naruto. Hopefully batch twelve will finally hit the mark," said Ayame with a nod as she wiped her hands on a towel.

Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah, hopefully."

"Thanks, by the way," replied Ayame as she turned her head and offered him a smile, "I don't think I would have been able to make so many test batches without your help."

"Oh," let out Naruto as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, "No need to thank me. I'm just doing what I can to help out my favourite ramen stall."

"You should probably wipe your hands before you touch yourself," suggested Ayame, snorting softly as she tossed him a fresh cloth, "Your neck probably smells like ginger now."

He pouted before he brought his hand to his nose and sniffed. The strong bite, light warmth and subtle sweetness immediately cleared his sinuses as he did so.

"Eh. It's not that bad."

Naruto quirked a brow and then blushed as he watched Ayame walk over to him and grab his hand. He found himself regrettably looking away as he felt Ayame rub her fingers into her palm before letting go of his hand.

"Heh, it's almost like you rubbed that pre-made ginger tea mix into your hand," teased Ayame, flashing him a toothsome smile.

"Hmph.." grunted Naruto quietly in response, "Now you've got me thirsty for ginger tea."

"I can make some if you want," replied Ayame as she wiped the ginger smell from her fingers, "We could always grate more ginger later."

He nodded his head, "That'd be nice."

"Maybe I could even break out some snacks," suggested Ayame as she went to the counter and pulled out some cups and a small teapot from the cupboard.

"You keep snacks in here?" asked Naruto as he pulled out two stools for them to sit on.

"Yep. How else do I sate my hunger whilst surrounded by delicious ramen all day?" answered Ayame as she quickly made a pot of ginger tea before opening another cupboard to search for some food.

Naruto glanced over at Ayame, "So what kind of snacks do you eat in here anyways?"

"Oh, ya know, the basic stuff. Stuff like crackers or seaweed. I think I got some leftover tuna onigiri somewhere here.." replied Ayame with a shrug as she placed a bunch of stuff down on the counter.

"That sounds great! I'm starvin'!" exclaimed Naruto, feeling somewhat re-invigorated as Ayame listed out the food options.

He heard Ayame chuckle. He hoped it was because of his enthusiasm and not because of something embarrassing.

"Alright, Naruto. Be a little patient. I don't want to end up serving you weak tea."

"Oh, don't worry. It's all good if I get to drink it with you!" replied Naruto, nodding his head as he gave her a warm smile.

He saw her blush a bit at his words. Her reaction made him feel a bit of pride swell in his chest. It was not every day that you got to get a pretty girl to blush at your words. Whilst Naruto made Hinata blush often, it just felt a bit more special seeing Ayame react the same way, especially since Ayame was much more stoic than Hinata.

What was that saying? Something about being exposed to something so often that you sort of just get use to it? It was something along those lines. Oh well. He would ask someone about it later.

"You're too nice," remarked Ayame, her exhale coming out just a bit shallow as she tossed him a wrapped onigiri.

"There's no such thing as too nice, Ayame," replied Naruto as he caught the onigiri, "That's like having too much money."

"You can have too much of everything," retorted Ayame as she poured the steeped ginger tea into two cups for them.

Naruto peeled the plastic wrapping off his onigiri before taking a big bite, "I don't think so."

"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full," chided Ayame teasingly as she walked over to him with a cup of hot tea before sitting down in the stool that he had set out for her, "It's impolite."

"Does it really matter that much?" asked Naruto as he swallowed.

"It does, Naruto," answered Ayame with a nod, "Once you get out into the adult world, it's good to be polite to be people. You only get one first impression after-all."

"Yeah, but I'm a ninja," replied Naruto with a shrug as he took a sip from his cup, a small smile forming on his face as the spicy ginger helped wash down the onigiri, "Being polite is sort of like an added bonus to being able to kill people and stuff."

"Ah, I see," said Ayame in response as she opened a single-serving package of dried seaweed, "So how have things been?"

"Super boring!"

Ayame quirked a brow, "Huh? Why is that?"

"All we're doing is boring jobs like painting fences or helping out the farms," answered Naruto, huffing quietly as he took another bite of onigiri, "I can't wait till we get a mission that takes us outside of the village."

There was a moment of silence.

"Say, Naruto. If you had a mission that took you outside the village, you'd tell me right?"

He nodded, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you ninja are all about secrecy, aren't you?" asked Ayame, her lips curving downward into a small frown.

Naruto blinked, his head tilting to the side a bit as he tried to figure out where that sad undertone in Ayame's voice came from. Was it something he said?

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, causing a few stray brown hairs that somehow slid out from underneath her white bandana to sway back and forth, "No. Not really."

"I don't believe you," replied Naruto as he crossed his arms, his lips pursing together as he leaned forward, closer to Ayame, "You can tell me what's bothering you. We're friends after-all."

Ayame swallowed quietly, "A-Alright."

"Alright then," said Naruto in response with a smile as he nodded his head, "Tell ol' Naruto what troubles you."

"I'm just a bit worried about you," answered Ayame, sighing softly as her shoulders sagged, "Being a ninja is dangerous and I'd hate for something bad to happen to you."

Naruto blinked, "Ooh, so that's what's worrying you."

"It is," replied Ayame with a nod as she took a sip from her cup.

"You don't need to worry about me, Ayame," said Naruto as he tried his best to sound reassuring, "Look, I'm like the sneakiest ninja around. I can sneak around better ninja in an orange jacket for God's sake! Plus I also got my teammates to back me up. I've got Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke!"

"I know that.." murmured Ayame quietly as she rested her cup in her lap, "But it's just that.."

Naruto quirked a brow, "Just that..?"

"Well, I value your help here at the stall, Naruto," replied Ayame as she glanced down at the floor, "And I rely on you now that Father has passed away."

She cleared her throat.

"What I'm trying to say, Naruto, is that I really enjoy having you around here," admitted Ayame as she looked back at Naruto, her cheeks flushing a bit as she continued, "It's just so much fun having someone around my age to talk to and you're pretty much the only person I talk to these days since I'm so busy. So just know that if something happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh," let out Naruto in response, blinking multiple times as she processed Ayame's words.

"I-I.. Uh.. Nevermind. Just pretend you didn't hear that from m-" began Ayame, only to gasp in surprise as Naruto leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.

She nearly spilled her tea.

"Look, Ayame. I promise you that nothing will happen to me. I'll make sure to always tell you before I leave the village and I'll always come back," stated Naruto firmly, his expression hardened with determination, "And I also value you, Ayame. I like talking to you a lot more than I like talking with my teammates. You're important to me."

Ayame blushed madly at his words, "A-Alright, N-Naruto."

There was a moment of silence.

"You can let go of my shoulders now, Naruto."

Another moment of silence.

"Oh. Sorry."

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 **A/N: I really enjoy writing in a more domestic setting. It allows me to focus solely on the romance and not have to include the other things that I am uncomfortable with writing. Sure, I may need to someday leave my comfort zone, but right now, I enjoy writing stuff like this. I hope you all enjoy reading this! Please favourite, follow and review! Thanks!**


	4. Ayame's Thoughts When Left Alone

**A/N: Welcome back folks to another chapter of Ramen Stall Romance. Let's be honest, food is amazing and sharing food with loved ones is even more amazing. It is ironic that I say this whilst downing food alone in my lonely apartment. This will be a shorter chapter since the only character in it will be Ayame. Oh well. Let's continue! I hope you all enjoy!**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters.**

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 **Ramen Stall Romance**

 **By Yangster**

 **Chapter #4: Ayame's Thoughts When Left Alone**

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She felt herself sigh both inwardly and outwardly.

Placing the lasted washed bowl on to a drying rack, Ayame went to find a towel to wipe her hands off with. Her movements were slow and heavy, as if she had weights placed on her shoulders and on her legs. Perhaps she was just tired or perhaps it was just an off day for her.

But she knew that was not the case.

The real reason why she was acting the way she was, was because Naruto was off on a mission.

Outside of the village.

She felt a lump in her throat as her mind wandered back to Naruto and what his situation might have been at the moment. Ayame was grateful that Naruto had told her beforehand that he was going to leave, but no matter how hard she concentrated on those comforting words that he had given her, she just could not stop herself from imagining the worst.

To think that Naruto was heading all the way to the Land of Waves. Where was that place even?

Ayame shook her head as she tossed the towel in her hands on to a counter. The more she thought about Naruto, the more worried she got. Was it irrational worry? Was she overthinking things? It was not like she knew anything about what it was like to be a ninja.

She groaned quietly before rubbing her temple as she felt a slight ache on the side of her head.

Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Ayame straightened up her uniform before looking around for any more things that she had to prepare for dinner rush. There were still so many things to do. She had to chop the onions, prepare the meat and also grate the ginger.

"Oh, why was it today out of all the other days that you had to go, Naruto..?" lamented Ayame quietly as she pulled out a knife and began working on the onions.

Her knife skills were abysmal that day as she tried her best to concentrate. As she cut the onions, she wondered whether or not the tears welling in her eyes were just because of the fumes of the onions or it they were there for another reason.

A clatter rang out in her tiny stall as she placed the knife down roughly on to the cutting board. She felt just the slightest pang in her heart as she backed away from the counter and pulled out a stool.

As she sat down, she let out a weary sigh. Then, she immediately stood back up and pulled out another stool. She placed it in front of her before sitting back down.

Was she going crazy? Why would she pull out another stool for Naruto despite the fact that he was somewhere out there doing ninja stuff?

"Ugh," groaned Ayame quietly as she palmed her face with her hand, "Maybe I am going crazy."

She then sighed, "And now I'm talking to myself."

Ayame felt just a bit guilty. She missed Naruto's company more than she missed being with her father. Naruto was just much more fun to talk to because of his enthusiasm and cheesy humour. His determination and enthusiasm was just infectious. She just could not help but smile back whenever he smiled at her or laugh at his jokes whenever he decided to tell one.

She just loved having him around.

She just hated not having him around.

Sighing once more, Ayame glanced over lazily at the half-cut onion. Maybe she could just close up shop for the day and relax at home. Though then again, that would be a complete waste of all the stuff that she had already prepared.

Ayame suppressed a groan. Maybe she would just do the relaxing in the stall, on her stool, for just a few minutes, before getting back to work. It was worrying though, that whenever she allowed herself to focus on something else other than the task at hand, her mind always drifted back to Naruto.

She gasped quietly.

Was this warmth in her chest that 'longing' feeling that she had read in her romance novels?!

"No way," let out Ayame as she placed a hand on her mouth, her eyes widening a bit in suprise at her own thoughts.

Shaking her head a bit, she looked over at the empty stool in front of her. Narrowing her eyes a bit, she imagined for just a moment that Naruto was sitting there. Just imagining him alone was able to send a flutter through her heart and a slight jitter in her stomach.

Alright. It was settled. Perhaps she had feelings for Naruto, who happened to be a few years her junior, but age did not matter that much, right?

"Now I got to figure out whether I have feelings because I like him or because he's just helping me escape the loneliness," said Ayame outwardly with a sigh, her voice quiet, turning even quieter towards the end of her sentence.

Maybe she could confess her feelings when he came back. If he did not return her feelings, it would be fine and they could just remain friends. They were friends after-all. He would understand, right?

Right?

Okay, so maybe it would not be the best idea. She might mess it all up and push Naruto away and then she would have to spend the rest of her life being known as that boring, dull and lonely woman that ran the ramen stall that she inherited from her father.

She shuddered at the thought.

Hopefully the saying that 'love conquers all' was true in real life, just like it was true in her novels.

Hopefully...

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 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a quick write so I hope I did not mess up too quickly. Please favourite, follow and review! Thanks! I love hearing your feedback!**


	5. Restaurant Romance in a Ramen Stall

**A/N: Howdy folks! Welcome back to another chapter of Ramen Stall Romance! Read on as Ayame and Naruto's relationship with each other blossom from a steady friendship into something more! Nothing too much though since this is still a T rated fic. I hope you all enjoy!**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters.**

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 **Ramen Stall Romance**

 **By Yangster**

 **Chapter #5: Restaurant Romance in a Ramen Stall**

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Things felt just a bit different.

Was it because of the fact that he had just completed his first ever mission outside of village? Was it because he had just recently bought a new pairs of socks? Perhaps it was because he had grown a few inches taller.

Or maybe it was because Ayame was acting differently around him.

He could not put his finger on exactly how Ayame was acting differently. There were just too many subtle things, like the way Ayame's tone of voice just sounded a bit sweeter, or how whenever she touched him, her fingers would linger for just a split-second. It was not just that. Naruto had also caught on to a few other differences ever since he came back from the Land of Waves.

There were now moments when Naruto would catch Ayame sneaking glances at him whenever she thought that he was focused or busy on something. He was sure that he caught most of them, but who knows?

Placing the onions into the pot of steeping broth, Naruto turned his head to look at where Ayame was. He caught her watching him again. They shared eye contact for just a split-second before Ayame turned her head back to look down at her cutting board.

Naruto was sure that she had a blush on her face.

In turn, he felt his cheeks heat up at that thought.

He really enjoyed this little game between the two of them. She would look at him first and then he would turn to look at her. They would share some awkward silence between the two of them before blushing and going back to whatever they were doing. It made his chest fill with his oddly pleasant warmth whenever this happened.

Naruto pursed his lips as he took a deep breath.

Perhaps after dinner rush, he could ask her out to a late night stroll around the market district. Naruto felt his cheeks flush once more as he realized what it meant if she were to say yes.

It would be a date.

Was he ready for one?

Naruto shrugged inwardly before washing his knife and putting it away. He then turned around to get a towel.

"Hey, Ayame. I got all the prepwork done. The onions are in the pot," stated Naruto casually as he looked over at her.

"Great!" exclaimed Ayame as she paused her work for a moment to flash Naruto a toothsome smile, "I'll be finished in a few seconds."

Naruto nodded, "Alright."

Looking around something to do, Naruto quickly got to work and began washing what dishes were in the sink. Humming a joyful tune, Naruto quickly finished his little, self-imposed task just in time to see Ayame pour in the ginger that she had grated into the pot.

"Alright. Now we just gotta wait for it all to simmer and we'll be ready for dinner rush!" cheered Ayame as she pumped a fist into the air, "Team Naruyame, job finished!"

Naruto chuckled at the little nickname that Ayame had given them, "Sweet!"

She raised a hand to which he quickly responded by high-fiving it.

"Alright, so what do we do while we wait?" asked Ayame as she clapped her hands together and grabbed a towel.

He smiled at her as he pulled out two stools, "Same as always. Let's chat for a bit!"

"Sure," replied Ayame as she returned the smile.

Sitting down, Naruto waited for Ayame to do the same before he continued speaking.

"I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole ramen stall business," stated Naruto, exhaling contentedly as he saw Ayame nod her head.

"Mhm," hummed Ayame in response, "You're a fast learner, Naruto."

"That I am!" exclaimed Naruto as he pointed to himself, eliciting an amused chuckle from Ayame, much to his joy and pride.

"That you are," replied Ayame with a smile.

There was a moment of silence as they both took a short break to catch their breath after all that hard work.

"Ya know.. I'm actually starting to really like working here, " began Naruto slowly with a shrug, glancing down at the floor for a second before looking back up at Ayame, "It's pretty fun to do all this time with you. Working in the ramen stall, I mean.."

Ayame tilted her head, "Is something on your mind, Naruto?"

"Yeah, there is.." admitted Naruto, his cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink, much to Ayame's curiosity.

"Mind telling me?"

"I don't know, Ayame.. it's embarrassing," replied Naruto as he scratched the back of his head.

"Hmm.." hummed Ayame, her eyes narrowing a bit, "Is it a girl, Naruto?"

Naruto's cheeks flushed even more so at Ayame's question, "W-What? W-Why do you ask, Ayame?"

"Because I want to know, Naruto," answered Ayame as she leaned forward, closer to him, her voice soft like fine silk, its delicate tone sending a pleasant shiver up his spine.

"W-When did you get so forward, Ayame?" asked Naruto before swallowing quietly as Ayame leaned in a bit more.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, Ayame's mind was racing at a thousand miles a second as she tried her best not to blush or stutter. If this kind of approach worked in her romance novels, then they must work in real life, right?

Granted, it was the man doing this kind of thing in the book instead of the woman..

Ayame hoped that this worked.

"You know, I've been catching you look at me whenever you think I'm not paying attention," said Ayame in as smooth a voice as she could muster, ignoring Naruto's question.

"W-Wait, isn't it the opposite? I've been catching you sneaking looks at me, Ayame!" retorted Naruto, causing Ayame's bold facade to crack a bit as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"I-I believe you may be mistaken, Naruto. It's always you that looks my way," replied Ayame, her blush intensifying as she realized that she had stuttered.

"Sure, I may sometimes turn my head to look at you, but you do it too!" exclaimed Naruto as he folded his arms.

"Wait.. You look at me too..? But why?" asked Ayame, her hazel brown eyes widening in surprise.

"Well why wouldn't I?" answered Naruto, glancing away as he blushed, "You're really pretty and you always have a nice smile on your face whenever you are working."

Ayame raised both of her hands to hide the blush on her cheeks as she heard Naruto's little confession, "You think I-I'm pretty?"

Naruto nodded, "I do!"

"W-Well.." stammered Ayame as she struggled to maintain eye-contact with Naruto, "Well.. I think you're handsome, Naruto!"

She squeaked in embarrassment, her eyes widening in surprise at her own little confession.

"Y-You do?"

Ayame nodded her head, "Y-Yes, I do!"

For a few seconds, all they could do was simmer quietly in their own self-induced embarrassed states. After several awkward moments of silence, Naruto slowly removed the white bandana he had wrapped around his forehead before slowly looking up at Ayame.

"Y-Ya know, I was gonna ask you this after dinner rush.." began Naruto, his bottom lip quivering as he tried his best to get the words out, "I-I'd like to.. Ya know.."

"What do you mean, Naruto?" asked Ayame, the blush on her cheeks having faded a bit.

Naruto swallowed quietly, "Well, I was hoping that we could.. That we could maybe go for a walk around the district after work."

Ayame's lips parted and her eyes widened in surprise at Naruto's request for what she immediately knew was a date. It was ironic how he was able to ask her out first, because she had actually planned to do the same right before she had melted down from embarrassment.

It was weird. He was younger than her. Should she not be the one asking him out instead of the other way around?

But then again, he was the boy and usually boys were the ones who initiated things. At least that was what her cheesy romance novels told her.

"You mean a date?" asked Ayame, perhaps a bit too bluntly.

Naruto nodded, "Yes, a d-date.."

"You know, Naruto, I was planning on asking you on a date as well earlier," confessed Ayame, her lips curving upward into a small smile as she blushed.

"R-Really?" stammered Naruto, blinking a few times in surprise.

"Really," replied Ayame, her smile widening, "I've had a bit of a crush on you for a while now."

"I first noticed I felt this way when you were away on a misson," she added.

"Ah, I-I see," stuttered Naruto in response, frowning in frustration at his inability to string out sentence without stammering.

Ayame chuckled softly as she reached forward and poked at the corner of Naruto's lips with her fingers, "Don't worry, Naruto. I think it's a bit cute when you stutter like that."

"Hmph," huffed Naruto quietly, "But I don't want to be the cute one."

"Heh," snorted Ayame, her smile turning into a slight smirk as she moved her fingers to Naruto's cheeks where she then proceeded to pinch them, much to Naruto's embarrassment, "Isn't the younger one in the relationship supposed to be the cute one?"

Naruto shook his head and he pulled Ayame's hands away from his face, "You are much cuter than I am, Ayame."

"True," replied Ayame with a smile.

"So, umm. Are we like girlfriend and boyfriend now?" asked Naruto sheepishly, "I don't really know how this works."

"Sure, I think that's how it works," answered Ayame with a nod, "It becomes official after the first date, I think.. Or something like that."

Naruto quirked a brow, "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

"N-No," stammered Ayame in response, her cheeks flushing.

"Ah, I see. Well.. I've never had a girlfriend before either," replied Naruto as he gave Ayame a smile.

Ayame chuckled, "Looks like we're both new to this."

"Mhm, it does."

"Well then," began Ayame as she reached down and grabbed both of Naruto's hands, "I know you won't disappoint me since I already know you are a kind person, Naruto."

She gasped quietly as Naruto leaned forward, her cheeks immediately heating up as she saw the determined expression on his face.

"I promise to make you happy, Ayame!"

Ayame smiled.

"You already have."

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 **A/N: Hello people! I hope you enjoyed chapter five! I've started to realize how short my chapters have been getting. Maybe it's because my writing skills have tanked. I don't know. Please follow, favourite and review! I love reading your feedback! Seriously. Give me that feedback.**


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